The Darkness Effect
by Myra the Sark
Summary: Klipse finds a way to create an improved, longer-lasting version of the Shadow Effect. He unleashes his prototype on Core-Tech...and the identity of the prototype shocks them to the core. PLEASE REVIEW!


**Here's the full thing. NOTE: This is only a clip from a possible story. And there is one swear due to Jinja being very angry. Has my OC Lily, who can sense emotions. ~Myra**

* * *

Chase stared and stared. _No. No way. It can't be her, can it?!_

Klipse smirked maliciously. "I see you're surprised. What do you think of my prototype, Chase?"

"Oh God," Jinja whispered, putting her hands over her mouth.

"What the crag?" Dax muttered, his eyes widening.

Bren's mouth twitched a few times and Beyal looked downright horrified. Lily looked like she was going to throw up any second, horror in her light-purple eyes.

Klipse's "prototype" was Charlemagne. At first he thought it couldn't be, until she said, "Driftblade, launch." Yet the words lacked any emotion; they were hollow and clipped. And when the lion Monsuno appeared, something was horribly wrong with how it looked. For one, its normally-yellow markings were a deep violet, and its eyes were blood-red. It snarled ferociously. All the while its controller was expressionless, emotionless.

"What…what have you _done_?" Beyal rasped

"What did I do? I simply tried my new procedure," Klipse began. "You see, ever since I witnessed the Shadow Effect, I have been searching for a way to make it permanent. But any Monsuno I tried it on would obey no one…so I figured the controller must undergo the process as well. And who more perfect than Charlemagne here?" He gestured to the blond woman, who still remained expressionless.

Now that Chase looked, he could see that the whites of her eyes had a purplish aura in them that seemed to flicker.

Klipse continued: "I call this the Darkness Effect." He laughed. "It is a much more permanent condition than the Shadow Effect. And why do you think I've been telling you all this?"

Chase knew what he was going to say.

"Seeing as you'll all be next!"

As if it were a signal, Charlemagne said, "Driftblade, Plasma Barrage."

The Monsuno followed orders instantaneously. Chase and the others from Core-Tech had to leap to the side to avoid the Monsuno's attack. "Lock, launch!" Chase yelled, spinning his core out. The bear Monsuno tackled Driftblade instantly, as if he knew something was wrong with Driftblade. "Jaw of Light!" Chase ordered, and Lock followed orders.

Apparently the so-called Darkness Effect had a few downsides to it, because Driftblade was sent right back into its core after taking the attack in the face. Still the Commandant-Marshal was expressionless, even though she had just lost in one shot. Chase knew that something was seriously wrong—every single instinct was screaming it.

"Now that was an unforeseen complication," Klipse muttered.

"Sir, it appears that all the kinks have not been worked out of the Darkness Effect yet," Hargrave observed.

"So it seems. Come, Hargrave." Then, to Charlemagne, he said, "You too, Charlemagne." She remained motionless, as if she hadn't heard him. "Ah yes…I forgot. Come along, D1."

And horrifyingly enough, that got her to follow. _God…she won't even respond to her name._ As soon as they were out of sight, Chase said tersely, "Let's get back to your place, Lily."

* * *

For the fiftieth time, Jinja said, "I can't believe Klipse would do something that damn _twisted_!" Chase knew she was seriously angry, because she _never_ swore—especially not in the same room as Beyal.

"You can say that again," Bren muttered, also looking steamed. Beyal was silent—he was taking the event that occurred an hour before the hardest. The monk had been absolutely horrified at the scene.

Chase was silent as well. _Dang. Not even Charlemagne deserved THAT to happen to her._ He shuddered, remembering the look she had to her. She looked her usual self at first…until you noticed her eyes. They looked blank, and seemed to have a purplish glow to them, which was just downright unnatural. And Driftblade—the lion Monsuno's markings had been a deep violet, and its eyes were blood-red. And it had snarled ferociously every few seconds.

And then Klipse had explained what it was. By modifying the Monsuno, and then the bond a Monsuno shared with its controller, they became closed off to everything around them, only following orders—and both were vicious to the extreme.

He turned to Lily. "Hey Lil, did you get anything from either Charlemagne or Driftblade?"

The lavender-eyed girl looked stricken for a few seconds, and her gaze fell. "Yes…" she said in her characteristically soft voice. "I did."

"Then spill it!" Dax said.

"Well, I…" She started shaking, her pale-brown curls going into her eyes. "From Driftblade, he…he wants to kill. He wants to kill everything he can, and he wouldn't care what—or who—it was."

"And Charlemagne?" Jinja asked, almost hesitantly.

"Anger. Hate. Pain. And…and she's very, very frightened. She doesn't know what's going on _at all_. Neither of them do."

Silence followed her revelation. Chase was startled. _Charlemagne—scared? That just doesn't fit her. Then again…I guess everyone feels fear at some point._

"Holy crag," Bren said quietly. "That's just awful. I mean, if _she's_ scared, it's bad."

The others nodded. Chase then said, "Well, we'll just have to do someone. Like I said…someone's always going to need our help." He chuckled a little. "And I guess this time it's STORM we need to help."


End file.
